Black River RAP

Dear Black River RAP Committee Member,
Below, you will find the meeting minutes for the January 2009 meeting. Please note that these minutes are also posted in the Meeting section of the Black River RAP homepage: www.blackriverrap.com.

1:35 Meeting Started by Ken Pearce – Introductions

Update on the master plan for the lower Black River

1:37 Jim Kooser, URS Corp – Update on restoration master plan:

PowerPoint presentation (click here to view presentation)
Have gathered baseline data, preliminary report
Goals: Economic development along river and ecological protection
Mapping point source discharges
Discussion on slag and its problems
Timeframe is still tentative on master plan implementation

Review revised Ohio delisting guidance document

1:58 Ted Conlin, EPA – Delisting discussion on delisting document

Changes in the Ohio Delisting guidelines 2005 vs 2008
Sections of Black River eligible for delisting and/or no longer considered impaired by Ohio EPA
Movement to accept changes in 2008 delisting by Ted Conlin, seconded by Eddie Herdendorf
All in favor to accept 2008 guidelines and to present document to state for possible delistings
Anne Marie mentioned that there was a conference call at end of Dec regarding whether or not there is going to be official approval of Delisting documents sent in, or is credit given for handing it in. Good idea for RAP to adopt the documents that are being submitted to state
Ted- according to the Ohio EPA's 2008 Integrated Report, the lower East Branch (essentially Lorain County's portion of the East Branch) and the Black River mainstem were listed as not impaired for recreational use, meaning the available bacteria data from these two areas were sufficiently low in bacteria counts that the state decided their impairment for recreational use is no longer supported and these areas have been delisted by the state. Impairment for state is not equal to impairment by Black River RAP or the International Joint Commission

New, and local, RAP Office

2:22 Ken Pearce, LCGHD – Intro on RAP website

2:25 Kim Polen, LCGHD – Presentation on Black River RAP website

Homepage intro, meetings and agendas listed here as well as announcements
Rundown of menu items on site, open for suggestions and comments
Andy Vidra asked if files should be sent in pdf, pdf is preferred but in the future there will be a committee member login where files can be uploaded directly from members
Interested in RAP link – choose which items they would like sent to them (newsletters, organizations becoming committee members, meeting announcements)
Watershed and Sub watershed info coordinated with Dan Gouch, interactive map of watershed, hover over, see what’s happening in each section and state of each section
Official e-newsletters to committee members
Committee members list and their representative organization(s)
Working on acquiring blackriverrap.com and blackriverrap.org domains
Ken Pearce, Black River RAP is just a portion of broader/bigger section of loraincountyhealth.com eco section (info on solid waste, water quality, etc.)
(Motion by Andy for LCGHD to RAP information handling from NOACA, seconded by Jeff VanLoon)
Use site as portal for other information concerning other issues of relevance

What's Needed

2:56 Cheryl Wolfe – Establish status of members, some members no longer participating

Ready to send membership letters and get more citizen reps. and more participation from local boards and agencies etc.
Jennifer, meetings should be timed better and should stick to schedule
Ken, quarterly meetings, 2^nd Monday of every quarter: April 13, July 13, and October 19

3:02 Andy Vidra – Logjam management

Agricultural community hasn’t been very active, primary reason, focus on other areas
Riparian area on west branch is completely stripped out, fish habitat is worst of watershed
Logjam management, 2 problems, cost and logjams are natural, will not have support. Solution is managed logjam removal plans, remove only those that are necessary
Cheryl, farmers will not participate in logjam management because they are not regulated, no incentive
Jeff, farmers participated in another area, incentive from EPA etc. to do so
Andy, riparian vegetation needed in upper black river, well planted riparian corridor decreases chances of logjams
Cheryl, manure regulation, lack of education with farmers, too much is being applied
Jeff, pollution problem from manure? ; complaints filed by community members, etc.
Andy, storm water phase II permit for another 5 years, out this spring, continuation of original, firmer rules, fairly open ended to each community. Not much activity in regulating storm water in region, most communities have passed upgraded ordinances in order to comply. Ordinances passed within last 2 years, have been delayed since ~2005. Communities backing out of ordinances, expensive, complicated; moving toward ordinances that are not as effective. Communities need to revisit ordinances for effectiveness.
Development of action plan, watershed action plans, frontloaded with what to do to prevent things from becoming worse
Job jar, get service groups to volunteer to do activities (willow planting, etc.) and participate in implementing solutions
Ann Marie, Dan Gouch’s future past July is unknown
Cheryl, monitoring group for Plum Creek
Ken, mindmapping of plans for solutions
Cheryl, deconstruction and restoration efforts. DiscussedConstruction Junction.

3:33 Jeff VanLoon - Update on low-head stream crossing removal in Lodi

Ted, update on annual report, partially finished, asked Craig for additional information

New Business and Announcements

3:35 Ann Marie – Announcements

Cleveland Metroparks looking for person with Master’s in zoology, biology for conservation director.
Grant announcements, request for proposals.
List for whom to send letters, committee members
Removal of logjams, incentive to do so, education/change in attitude to remove logjams and problems with them, for prevention

Announcement 1

Please consider joining us for the next WMAO / WRC Water Seminar

Luncheon on January 20, at the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research. The topic will be "Pharmaceuticals and Other Organic Wastewater Compounds in Waters of Ohio and the United States"

Speaker: Ralph J. Haefner, Ph.D., U.S. Geological Survey, Ohio

WaterScienceCenter, Columbus, Ohio

Organic wastewater compounds, which may include pharmaceuticals, hormones, detergents, plasticizers, fire retardants, disinfectants, fragrances, insecticides, and insect repellants, have been found in waters of Ohio and the United States at very low concentrations. Many of these compounds have been in use for a long time, so their presence in water is probably not new. What is new, however, is our ability to effectively measure these contaminants at the very low concentrations that typically are found in surface and ground water. This presentation will summarize results of National and local surveys of streams and drinking-water supplies and relate them to ecological and human-health concerns and current regulatory limits.

More information and the registration form can be found at http://www.wmao.org/pdf/luncheons/Water_Luncheon_Seminar_09.pdf

We look forward to seeing you. This e-mail was sent from Water Management Association of Ohio

Announcement 2

Federal Funding Available for Land Preservation Projects in the Lake Erie Watershed Communities have until February 17 to submit applications

SANDUSKY, OH - Communities within Ohio's Lake Erie Watershed seeking to acquire land for preservation and recreation can apply for up to $3 million per project in federal grants through the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP). The program is administered in the state through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Office of Coastal Management.

Municipalities, park districts and other public entities can submit applications until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17. Sites of high-quality ecological, conservation, recreational, historical or aesthetic value will be top contenders for funding. Sites within Ohio's designated Coastal Management Area will be given highest priority, followed by sites in coastal counties and then other sites in the Lake Erie watershed. Applicants must provide at least 50 percent of the total project cost as match.

The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program was established to protect important coastal and estuarine lands nationwide that are threatened by development. Application materials can be found by selecting "Grants" at www.ohiodnr.com/coastal or by contacting Ohio's CELCP Coordinator Sandra Kosek-Sills at (419) 626-7980.

Up to three projects from Ohio will be referred to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for ranking and final consideration. Funding will come in the federal fiscal year 2010 budget bill, with money available March 1, 2010. Ohio has been awarded more than $20 million for projects since the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program began in 2002.

For more information, visit www.coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/land/welcome.html

Announcement 3

Lake Erie Watershed Organizations, The Great Lakes Commission is now accepting grant applications online for the 2009 Great Lakes Basin Program.

The grant will fund demonstration projects up to $30,000 and information/education projects up to $10,000 that improve water quality through soil erosion and sediment control in the Lake Erie Watershed.

For additional info visit: http://www.glc.org/

2009 Online Application for Funding: http://www.glc.org/basin/funding.html

Application Deadline: 6pm, ET on March 1, 2009

Ohio Funded Projects: The Great Lakes Basin Program has funded over 40 grant projects in the Ohio Lake Erie Watershed since 1991.

http://www.glc.org/basin/stateproj.html?st=oh

Link to projects funded in 2007: http://glc.org/basin/pubs/keeping/pdf/0903.pdf

Link to projects funded in 2006: http://glc.org/basin/pubs/keeping/pdf/0802.pdf

For more information, please contact Matt Adkins (Ohio Task Force Member) http://www.glc.org/basin/taskforce.html#oh

Matthew L. Adkins, Coastal NPS Coordinator
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Soil and Water Conservation
105 West Shoreline Drive
Sandusky, Ohio 44870
(419) 609-4102 phone
(419) 609-4158 fax
(614) 562-5477 cell
email: Matt.Adkins@dnr.state.oh.us
website: www.dnr.state.oh.us/soilandwater

3:42 Ken Pearce - Meeting adjourned

Conservation efforts in the watershed/AOC-

Andy McDowell, WRLC – unable to attend

Update on Sub-Watershed efforts

Dan Gouch – unable to attend meeting; click here to view memo on Subwatershed updates